Painting accession numbers on bronze

[Tom & Maggie Mazzullo]

Hello all,

I have inherited the care and welfare of a collection of small bronze cast
sculptures (among other things) from a previous registrar. None of these
pieces are marked with accession numbers and I am itching to get them
numbered and in order.

I see that Light Impressions catalogue offers a set of clear and opaque
sealant, looks kind of like nail polish. One is supposed to brush on the
opaque (white) layer, write the number in ink and then seal it with the
clear. This is supposedly archival and removable. Has anyone heard of
this stuff or used it? are there any suggestions for other options?

Gratefully,

Maggie Mazzullo
Registrar/ Asst. Curator
Emerson Gallery
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY 13323

[Suzanne Quigley]

I wouldn't use it, without a conservators blessing, but a white band
painted on a bronze might be aesthetically inappropriate. A similar sized
band of clear soluvar (synthetic varnish) with a number painted discretely
in red acrylic paint and then covered with another layer of clear soluvar
would be preferrable in that it is certainly reversable without damage to
the bronze (using the appropriate solvent) and it does not draw much
attention to itself.

I would suggest further that the workshop on number marking (Friday at
AAM), will be the definitive workshop on the subject.

Suzanne

************
Suzanne Quigley
Head Registrar, Collections and Exhibitions
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10128
212 423 3568
fax: 212 423 3650
email: squ...@panix.com

[David Dawson]

You might also care to look at our website - we have an on-line
factsheet about marking and labelling:-

http://www.open.gov.uk/mdocassn/labels.htm

We also do a video, but is in a European only format at the moment,
though if people are interested we might be able to do a conversion and
make copies available for sale ...

David

In article <l03010d04af7e9b9cccfa@[166.84.195.200]>, Suzanne Quigley
<squ...@PANIX.COM> writes

David Dawson email: da...@mdaserv.demon.co.uk
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